Ask your builder about the impact of adding a future bath in the lower level, if you're opting to finish the basement at another time.

Photos of Raleigh basement homes

Below are three of our most popular daylight basement home design approaches - to show what it can look like to add bedrooms, bathrooms, recreation rooms, storage, and built-ins to all the space created by a basement.

Raleigh basement home #1: Basement recreation room

Pictured here is a basement floor plan designed with two distinct spaces in mind: a pool table area in the recreation room and a media and lounge area divided by columns.

This basement layout includes a full bathroom - a feature chosen to give this basement more livable space.

Adding a bathroom can accommodate all kinds of future private living space for kids as they grow older, or potential long-term guests.

French doors provide directaccess to outdoor living spaces.

The hanging light marks the location of the pool table, arriving shortly!

Raleigh basement home #2: Basement living area with multiple bedrooms and baths

Pictured here is a basement living room, with doors to dualbedrooms, baths, and a laundryroom.

Imagine the possibilities, for all this open space.

Raleigh basement home #3: Basement media room with built in storage

Pictured here is a basement designed as an entertainment and hangout area.

Whether it morphs into a "man cave" or spread out activities for family hang out time, there's a lot of ways to use this room.

French doors lead to outdoor living space.

This design, a version of the Treehouse, allows for tons of storage space - finished or unfinished.

Ask the builder for more ways to put a bonus into your new home - top or bottom, there are a lot of ways to build in space for everything your family wants to do.

How to use "wasted space" to add more living areas

Adding a bonus room to the second story

Floor plans offer more flexibility than you might think. Below are photos taken in two version of the Summerlyn, a floor plan concept by Frank Betz. In these examples, see how to add square footage to a house by adding a second story bonus room.

The Summerlyn A: Two story great room

In this version of the Summerlyn, the home owners wanted to customize their floor plan that included a large, open concept great room with a two story wallof windows.

They asked us to incorporate special feature to highlight the dramatic ceiling height, including a large built-in bookcase for extra storage space, full-height picture frame paneling above the two-sided fireplace, and second story overlook.